Mobile terminal and method for remote control of a home gateway using same

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a mobile multimedia terminal including a processor ( 11 ), a program memory ( 12 ), a data memory ( 13 ), and a voice-activated remote control device comprising a microphone ( 17 ), a voice recognition module ( 14 ), a lexical analyser ( 15 ) and a communication module ( 16 ) capable of controlling at least one item of household equipment ( 27 ) by means of a home gateway ( 21 ), via a wireless link ( 20 ), a manual input device, a screen ( 18 ) and a speaker ( 19 ). The invention also relates to a home gateway remote control method using a mobile multimedia terminal.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a mobile multimedia terminal and a homegateway remote control method using such a terminal.

STATE OF THE RELATED ART

The use of a voice recognition module to control household equipment isknown. However, this module is remote from the user. When transmittingan order between the user and said voice recognition module, the usermust repeat the command when the audio, acoustic or electrical flux issubject to distortion. In addition, exchanges between the controldevice, which includes said voice recognition module, and the user areonly carried out in voice mode. This results in tedious dialogue for theuser.

The aim of the invention is to propose a terminal making it possible toresolve such a problem by reducing the risks of acoustic or electricaldistortion of the audio flux and enabling the user to validate a voicecommand considered as ambiguous by the voice recognition module.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a mobile multimedia terminal comprising aprocessor, a program memory and a data memory, comprising avoice-activated remote control device comprising a microphone, a voicerecognition module, a lexical analyser, and a communication module,capable of controlling at least one item of household equipment by meansof a home gateway, via a wireless link.

It may also comprise a manual input device, a screen and a speaker. Thescreen may be a screen equipped with touch input properties. Thewireless link may for example be an IEEE 802.11 type link or a“Bluetooth” type link or any other type of radio transmission linksupporting IP protocol.

The invention also relates to a remote control method of a home gatewayconnected to at least one item of household equipment via a homenetwork, by means of a mobile multimedia terminal, comprising thefollowing steps:

-   -   an actuation step of a terminal input peripheral by the user,    -   a transmission step of a voice command by said user,    -   a reception step of said voice command by the terminal,    -   a conversion step of the acoustic signal received into        electrical information,    -   an analysis step of said electrical information and association        of words described in a grammar,    -   a detection step of a correspondence between said words and a        list of orders permitted by the home gateway,    -   a transmission step by the terminal of a warning that it has not        been able to interpret an order,    -   a display step of an order if it exists,    -   a feedback step when the terminal has been able to interpret the        order,    -   an encoding step of said order according to the gateway        protocol,    -   an integration step of said encoded order into a transmission        protocol request,    -   a transmission step of the request to the home gateway.

This method may also comprise a display step of a reiteration requestmessage for the command in the event of ambiguity in its interpretation.

Advantageously, the method according to the invention comprises acontrol step of functions relating to at least one item of householdequipment or intrinsic functions of the home gateway. In this way, itmay comprise an actuation step of hardware or software processes hostedon at least one item of household equipment.

Advantageously, the method according to the invention comprises acommand reiteration step, carried out in voice mode or by means of amanual action.

It is also possible to use an encryption algorithm of the informationtransmitted between the terminal and the home gateway.

The information transmitted between the terminal and the home gatewaymay be in IP format.

The mobile multimedia terminal according to the invention is thuscapable of processing acoustic signals, including the result of theprocessing in IP packets, or any other protocol, transmitting this datain real time to a home gateway where it can be interpreted, andtriggering any of the following actions:

-   -   control of equipment connected to said home gateway via a local        data transmission network,    -   execution of predefined action scenarios to be carried out by        said gateway,    -   internal notifications to said gateway,    -   equipment status request.

In return, said gateway may transmit to the mobile multimedia terminalinformation in the form of data, sound, image or video, indicating:

-   -   the command processing status,    -   notification of alarms and any events relating to the home local        network or to equipment connected to said network.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES

FIG. 1 illustrates the architecture of the mobile multimedia terminalaccording to the invention.

FIG. 2 illustrates the steps of the method according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PARTICULAR EMBODIMENTS

As represented in FIG. 1, the mobile multimedia terminal according tothe invention 10, controllable by a local user 1, is a portableinformation system platform particularly incorporating the followingfunctional components: a processor 11 to which a RAM memory 12, a bankmemory 13, a voice recognition module 14, a lexical analyser 15, and acommunication module 16 are connected, along with input and outputperipherals.

The input peripherals may be a microphone 17, a manual input devicewhich may consist of one or more push buttons. Said device may alsocomprise a screen 18 equipped with touch input properties.

The output peripherals may be such a screen 18 and a speaker 19.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, said terminal is connected via a wireless,IEEE 802.11, “Bluetooth” type link or any other link using a wirelesscommunication standard (network 20), to a home gateway 21, whichcomprises:

-   -   an interface 22 with an external network 23,    -   an interface 24 with the internal network 20, for example,        Hertzian,    -   an interface 25 with a home local network 26 comprising sensors        or actuators 27 used to control household equipment, and        multimedia equipment such as a Hi-fi or video system,    -   an interface 28 to the Internet.

Said terminal 10 is capable of transmitting digital information, forexample in IP format, in real time to the home gateway 21 via itscommunication module 16.

In the processing example illustrated in FIG. 2, following thetransmission of a voice command from the user, it is received in theterminal using the microphone 17 (step 31). Said microphone 31 convertsthe acoustic signal into electrical information (step 32).

The voice recognition module 14 analyses this electrical information andassociates, if applicable, words described in a grammar with it (step33).

The lexical analyser 15 receives the words interpreted by the voicerecognition module, locates a correspondence between said words and alist of orders permitted by the home gateway (step 34).

If the order belongs to the list of orders permitted by the gateway, thewords recognised by said voice recognition module 14 are sent to theterminal screen (step 35). In the event of ambiguity in theinterpretation, validation of the words displayed is requested from theuser (step 36).

Following step 35, the lexical analyser 15 encodes the order accordingto the protocol of the gateway 21, before transmitting said informationto the communication module (step 37).

The communication module 16 integrates the encoded order into a request,for example an “HTTP” request, of the transmission protocol, for exampleIP (step 38), and then transmits the request to the home gateway 21 viathe wireless link 20 (step 39).

The mobile multimedia terminal according to the invention can thus beused for the remote actuation of hardware or software processes hostedon one or more items of equipment 27 of a home local network 26connected to a home gateway 21.

This terminal 10 enables the user to voice-control all the remotecontrol functions offered by the home gateway 21. Said functions mayrelate to equipment 27 connected to the home gateway 21 via the datanetwork 26 or intrinsic to said gateway 21. An order from the user to anitem to be controlled contains at least two useful items of information:an action and the name of the item.

The user may actuate any of the input peripherals of the mobilemultimedia terminal 10, for example a push button on the terminal or anicon on the touch screen, before giving an order. This facility reducesrisks of error to only the orders given by the user intended for thehome gateway 21.

Advantageously, the terminal according to the invention 10 authorisesthe repetition of orders received and interpreted by the terminal 10either visually on the screen 18, or by voice synthesis by the speaker19. This feedback enables the user to validate or record orders. Thisfeature facilitates the use of the remote control by blind or partiallysighted users.

The mobile multimedia terminal 10 can warn the user when it has not beenable to interpret an order received. This warning may be an audio orvisual signal, or an audio message. In addition, the confirmation,repetition or reiteration of such an order may be performed by the userin voice mode or by means of a manual action, for example by pressing ona button or on the touch screen of the mobile multimedia terminal 10.

The mobile multimedia terminal 10 makes it possible to correct errorsliable to result from Hertzian transmission. Methods well-known to thoseskilled in the art ensure the quality of service that can be used on thelower layers (“Bluetooth”, IEEE 802.11, etc.) and upper layers (TCP/IP,UDP/IP, etc.) of the transmission protocol. The lower layers are layers1 and 2 of the OSI model: the Physical layer and Link layer. The upperlayers are layers 3 to 6 of the OSI model, usually referred to asNetwork, Transport, Session and Presentation layers.

Finally, the mobile multimedia terminal 10 may comprise an encryptionalgorithm of the digital data contained in each IP packet so as tocertify, render confidential and secure the message transmitted betweensaid terminal and the gateway 21.

Said terminal 10 may, for example, be a digital PA or a larger formatgraphic tablet used to access home or family applications.

EXAMPLE OF EMBODIMENT OF TERMINAL ACCORDING TO THE INVENTION

In an embodiment of the terminal 10, the oven and the roller blinds in ahome are connected to the home gateway 21 and receive from said gatewayvia the home local network 26 the following parameters: start, stop,cooking stabilisation and gradient stages.

The user can thus, while sitting in the living room, use thevoice-activated control of the terminal 10 to find out the progress ofthe cooking cycle and send an order to the oven to stop or reduce thetemperature so as to delay the time at which the dish is removed fromthe oven.

From the same location, the user can control the closure of the blindswithout missing any of their favourite television programme.

1-11. (canceled)
 12. A mobile multimedia terminal comprising: aprocessor; a program memory; a data memory; a voice-activated remotecontrol device including a microphone, a voice recognition module, alexical analyzer, and a communication module configured to controlplural items of equipment from a home local network by a home gateway,which comprises an interface with the home local network, by a wirelesslink, a manual input device, a screen, and a speaker.
 13. A terminalaccording to claim 12, wherein the screen is equipped with touch inputproperties.
 14. A terminal according to claim 12, wherein the wirelesslink is an IEEE 802.11 type link or a “Bluetooth” type link or any othertype of radio transmission supporting IP protocol.
 15. A terminalaccording to claim 12, enabling feedback when the terminal is configuredto interpret a command order from one or more of the items of equipment.16. A mobile multimedia terminal comprising: a processor; a programmemory; a data memory; a voice-activated remote control device includinga microphone, a voice recognition module, a lexical analyzer, and acommunication module configured to control plural items of equipmentfrom a home local network by a home gateway, which comprises aninterface with the home local network, by an IEEE 802.11 type link or a“Bluetooth” type link or any other type of radio transmission linksupporting IP protocol, a manual input device, a screen and a speaker,and also enabling feedback, when the terminal is configured to interpreta command order from one or more of the items of equipment.
 17. A remotecontrol method of a home gateway connected to at least one item ofequipment by a home network, by a mobile multimedia terminal, the methodcomprising: receiving an acoustic signal voice command by the terminal;converting the received acoustic signal into electrical information;analyzing the electrical information and associating words described ina grammar; detecting a correspondence between the words and a list oforders permitted by the home gateway; displaying an order if it exists;encoding the order according to a gateway protocol; integrating theencoded order into a transmission protocol request; and transmitting thetransmission protocol request to the home gateway.
 18. A methodaccording to claim 17, further comprising displaying a reiterationrequest message for the voice command in an event of an ambiguity in itsinterpretation.
 19. A method according to claim 17, further comprisingcontrolling functions relating to at least one item of householdequipment or intrinsic functions of the home gateway.
 20. A methodaccording to claim 17, further comprising actuating hardware or softwareprocesses hosted on at least one item of household equipment.
 21. Amethod according to claim 17, further comprising a command reiteration,carried out in a voice mode or by a manual action.
 22. A methodaccording to claim 17, wherein an encryption algorithm of theinformation transmitted between the terminal and the home gateway isused.
 23. A method according to any of claim 17, wherein the informationtransmitted between the terminal and the home gateway is in IP format.24. A remote control method of a home gateway connected to at least oneitem of equipment by a home network, by a mobile multimedia terminal,the method comprising: receiving an acoustic signal voice command by theterminal; converting the received acoustic signal into electricalinformation; analyzing the electrical information and associating wordsdescribed in a grammar; detecting a correspondence between the words anda list of orders permitted by the home gateway; displaying an order ifit exists; displaying a reiteration request message for the voicecommand and executing a command reiteration, carried out in a voice modeor by a manual action, in an event of ambiguity in an interpretation ofthe voice command; encoding the order according to the gateway protocol;integrating the encoded order into a transmission protocol request; andtransmitting the transmission protocol request to the home gateway.